SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Scott Shows Hornets the Will And the Way

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

Published: April 21, 2008

Byron Scott supervised the New Orleans Hornets' practice here Sunday morning, a few hours after watching his young team come from behind to defeat the Dallas Mavericks, 104-92, and take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series.

Scott has turned the Hornets all the way around from an 18-64 record in his first season here in 2004-5. If voters are thinking clearly, the Hornets will have the most valuable player, Chris Paul, as well as the coach of the year.

Scott is great at reclamation projects. The more twisted the wreckage, the more he thrives. By those calculations, we may see New Orleans in the N.B.A. finals sooner than later.

Earlier this season, Scott compared his Hornets to a fighter with a great jaw.

''People hope we fall on our face,'' he said.

But the Hornets could become a national favorite because of Paul's popularity and New Orleans's rebuilding story.

Not to dwell in the past, but Scott's departure from the Nets four seasons ago is Exhibit A for how a decision to hire or fire a coach can send a franchise into oblivion or catapult it to the heights.

New Orleans: heights. New Jersey: oblivion.

Scott became the Nets' coach in 2000 and endured a 26-56 season. The next season, Scott led the Nets to the N.B.A. finals, where they were swept by the Lakers. The transition from 26-56 to 52-30 was the sixth-greatest turnaround in N.B.A. history. But some said the real brains of the operation was Scott's assistant, the current Wizards coach Eddie Jordan. More than Jordan, Scott benefited from the trade that brought Jason Kidd to the Nets.

Scott led the Nets to the finals again in 2002-3; that time, they lost to San Antonio.

Then, midway through the 2003-4 season, Scott was fired, even though the Nets had a winning record. He was replaced by Lawrence Frank. Under Frank, the Nets have not begun to approach the championship level established by Scott.

Unless I missed something, Jordan hasn't taken the Wizards to the N.B.A. finals, either. The farther away Scott gets from New Jersey, the better he begins to look. It's beyond X's and Os. Scott is about will.

Before the second half of the Hornets-Mavericks game on Saturday, Scott pulled Paul, his star point guard, aside. This was Paul's first playoff game and things were not going well. Paul had only 11 first-half points and the Hornets trailed by 12.

''Before we started the second half, I told him, 'When series like this are up in the air, you've got to go out there and impose your will,' '' Scott said.

That's exactly what Paul did. At one point in the third quarter, Paul had a one-man 7-0 run. He finished with 35 points, 10 assists and 4 steals.

Dallas has been to the postseason eight years in a row; the Hornets hadn't been to the postseason in four years. On Saturday, Scott saw his inexperienced team come back and beat the playoff-tested but brittle Mavericks.

Scott told reporters that experience had its positives, ''but I don't think it is so big that it's going to win or lose us a series.

''You've still got to go out there and perform,'' he said. ''You've still got to go to out there and execute on both ends of the floor, so I think it's overrated.''

One of the more complex components of the Hornets' success is judging its impact on New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina decimated the city in 2005, every major event, the success of every pro team, is seen as a chance to help this great city dig out.

In the 2006, the New Orleans Saints made a playoff run and became an inspiration. Last season, the Saints collapsed. Sadly, the collapse seems closer to the reality than the inspirational run.

The Hornets, thanks in large part to Scott and Paul, seem to have staying power.

After Hurricane Katrina, Scott's team was displaced, forced to play all but 10 of its home games in Oklahoma City for two seasons before returning to New Orleans full-time this season.

But with a core of young players anchored by Paul, the Hornets set a club record for victories with 56. They won the Southwest Division and earned the No. 2 seed in the West. By the regular-season home finale, New Orleans had sold out 12 of its last 17 games.

Scott's next challenge is to pull New Orleans beyond the fairy-tale stage of a feel-good story. How will the Big Easy become Titletown, U.S.A.?